Inflammable container



, 1961 o. A. HARTMAN INFLAMMABLE CONTAINER April 25 Filed Sept. 3, 1957 Unite States Patent 2,981,613 nsFLAi/MABLE CoNrAnsnR 4Gwen A. Hartman, P.O. `Box 2,6, Sonora, Calif.

Filed Sept. '3, 1957, Ser. No. 681,793

4 Claims. (Cl. 44-40) The present invention relates to a foldable container adapted to hold materials for `a fire and formed of an inammable substance with integral lighting means to the end of facilitating the ignition of combustibles Various materials employed in making fires are difficu-t to ignite, as for example charcoal, in that a high temperature is required for initial combustion. In those instances where it is not feasible or not desirable to rst start a rather large tire from wood or the like to form a bed upon which a material `such as charcoal is placed for ignition considerable difficulty `is often encountered in starting the charcoal to burn. Particularly is this true in the case of barbecue pits or units wherein a charcoal fire is desired without first building -a large wood fire merely to ignite the charcoal.

There have been developed and marketed various liquid lighting substances for charcoal; however, these substances are generally highly volatile and soinflarnmable as to raise some question as to the safety of their use. Additionally the spraying of a liquid upon a pile o-f charcoal to be burnt does not dispose any of the liquid on the under side of the charcoal where the fire should preferably start.

The present invention provides an inflammable container for charcoal or the like which is foldable into a flat package forsale and storage and which upon unfolding provides an ideal receptacle for holding and igniting charcoal. The container of the present invention provides an advantageous draft or air flow through the charcoal therein and in addition includes means whereby the container may itself be readily ignited.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an inflammable container for charcoal or the like yand being foldable into a substantially planar configuration.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an inflammable container for charcoal having improved natural draft therethrough.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an inflammable container for containing and igniting charcoal and including means for igniting the container.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form `of the invention which is illustrated inthe drawing accompanying and forming pant of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a projected View of the container opened to receive charcoal or the like.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the container taken at 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the container `taken at 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a projected view of the container partially 2,981,613 Patented Apr. Z5, 1961 collapsed with a portion broken away as indicated to show interior configuration.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view t-aken at 5--5 of Figure 4 but showing the container completely collapsed and folded.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at 6-6 of Figure 5.

Considering now the structural details of the invention as illustrated and referring first to Figure l of the drawing, it will be seen that the container includes a pair of parallel planar side walls `11 and 12 connected by shorter end walls 13 and i4. The material from which the container is formed is preferably a light cardboard or the like impregnated at least on the surfaces thereof with a wax whereby the container is quite inflammable and yet not dangerously so. walls as well as the connection of later yidentified portions may be accomplished in any desired manner such as tape, glue, staples, etc. Each of the end walls 13 and 14 are provided with central vertical fold lines 16 and 17 respectively which may be formed by perforations and whereby the ends are adapted to fold inward of the container as the side walls approach `one another, as later described.

ln addition to the foregoing portions of the container there is provided a floor or bottom 18 to the container and having a central longitudinal fold line 19 or perforation line, if such is preferred, extending between the fold lines of the end walls i3 and 14. The bottom 18 has a greater width than the end walls i3 and 1-4 and there are provided fold lines 21 land 22, as by perforations, along the joinder of bottom and side walls so that the bottom is raised along the center line 19 thereof to form an inverted V in cross section. The bottom 18 is joined only to the side walis and is not connected tothe end walls so that relative movement of bottom and end walls is possible.

The container as described above thus comprises a rectangular upright wall structure with -a bottom connected only to the side walls and raised along the center line thereof. Provision is made for folding or Vcollapsing this container into a substantially planar package for storage and sale 4and to this end the bottom 18 is provided` at each end thereof with fold lines 23 and 24 extending from the corners to the center line at substantially right angles to each other. These fold lines may be produced as desired, for example by perforations, and they define at each end of the bottom a V section 26 adapted to be folded downward into `a generally vertical position with the center line 19 therethrough folded oppositely from normal. With the end ysections -26 of the bottom folded downward the end walls 13 and 14 may be folded in# ward about the central fold lines 16 and f7 thereof and the side walls 11 and 12 pressed together until the end walls are completely folded, the bottom is folded in half and the sides are close together. In this position the container is quite flat `and almost planar in configuration, as seen in Figure 5, whereby the container occupies a minimum of space and may thu-s be readily handled.

Unfolding of the container from the planar position thereof requires only a spreading apart of fthe side walls, whereby the end walls fold outward, and a folding upward of the V sections 26 of the bottom. Note here that the V sections 26 are folded through a planar position so that they snap into the final bottom configuration and will not tend to fold down again but instead retain normal position until manually Vforced to fold. With the bottom unfolded it engages the end walls to prevent same from folding inward and a rigid container structure results.

The container described above is Iadapted when unfolded to receive Vand retain combustible material such as charco-al from which a tire is to be made.

Connection of end and side tainer, `as stated above, is formed of a combustible material and is Iadapted to be consumed by lfire while holding charcoal or the like in order to ignite the contents. Asa lire is preferably lit near the bottom of the material to be burned there are provided at the bottom corners of the end walls tear strips 27 formed by perforation lines 28 extending across the lower corners of the end walls whereby same may be manually torn along such lines and folded outward to dispose the strips outward of the container. These tear strips 27 are preferably triangular, `as shown, and are of suiicient extent to cover a part of the container interior and a part of the inverted V-shaped opening 29 beneath the bottom. As the tear strips 27, like the remainder of the container, are inammable and are relatively small it is quite easy to ignite same with a match or other source of heat. With the tear strips ignited the container readily burns to ignite material such as charcoal therein and a natural draft upward through the container flows through the openings left by the tear strips when they are folded outward. -Air is also -admit-ted beneath the container bottom 18 so that as same burns an even greater draft upward through the container contents results. There may also be provided openings 31l in the lower corners of the end walls opposite the tear strips to further improve the draft through the container from the bottom upwards.

Use of the present invention in such as a barbecue unit requires only that the container be unfolded by spreading the side or end walls to straighten the end walls and pressing upward the end Vs of the bottom to snap same into alignment with the central portion of the bottom. The tear strips at each end of the container are then torn along the perforations and folded outward to extend from the end Walls of the container. Following the disposition of a desired amount of charcoal in briquettes or bulk within the container it remains only to place the container upon the barbecue grate and to apply a flame to the tear strips. The container immediately ignites Iand burns all about the charcoal with an intense high temperature arne which rapidly ignites the charcoal. The draft provided through the charcoal in the container insures an overall charcoal ignition and as the container is consumed by flames there remains a burning bed of charcoal.

What is claimed is:

1. An inflammable container comprising vertical walls and an inverted V-shaped bottom extending upwardly from the'lower opposed side edges of said walls, said walls having perforations therein defining tear strips that are extensible from said container for ignition `and providing openings to the interior of said container at the juncture of said bottom to opposed side walls and to the underside of said bottom inwardly of said opposed side walls.

2. An inammable unit including a container and material to be burnt disposed therein, said container comprising connected upright side and end walls with the latter being inwardly foldable about the center thereof, -a bottom connected only to said 4side walls and fold-able about the center thereof with a normal partially folded position slanting the bottom downward to each side wall when the container is open, means providing communication through said end walls adjacent the bottom thereof to the underside of said bottom and to the interior of said container along the top surface of said bottom, and means on said end walls for igniting said container adjacent the bottom thereof to burn same and ignite material disposed therein.

3. An inflammable container for material to be burned comprising an open top enclosure having side walls, end walls yand a bottom wall with portions of said bottom wall spaced upwardly from the lower edges of said side and end walls to define an air space, said walls being formed of substantially rigid highly inflammable material, means forming a portion of one of said walls and tearable and extensible `theref-rom to define an igniting strip, and said strip upon extension thereof providing a vent opening in said wall in communication with said space.

4. A foldable container with material to be burned therein, comprising side and end walls connected at vertical fold lines 'and said end walls having central ventical fold lines, and a bottom connected to said side walls only and having a fold line longitudinally Ithrough the center thereof with said bottom having a width greater than the width of said end walls with the fold line of the bottom disposed above the bottom of said side walls, said end walls being collapsible for folding of said container into substantially planar configuration, and means defining vent openings in said end walls ladjacent the bottom corners thereof communicating with the interior of said container for enhancing burning of material therein and also communicating with the `space subjacent said bottom between said end walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,623,107 Goodykoontz Apr. 5, 1927 2,022,564 Bergman May 28, 1935 2,048,307 Weber July 21, 1936 2,193,237 Mueller Mar. 12, 1940 2,705,556 Ringler Apr. 5, 1955 2,761,609 Arkin Sept. 4, v'1956 2,784,892 Feher Mar. 12, 1957 2,784,894 Hill Mar. 12, 1957 

1. AN INFLAMMABLE CONTAINER COMPRISING VERTICAL WALLS AND AN INVERTED V-SHAPED BOTTOM EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE LOWER OPPOSED SIDE EDGES OF SAID WALLS, SAID WALLS HAVING PERFORATIONS THEREIN DEFINING TEAR STRIPS THAT ARE EXTENSIBLE FROM SAID CONTAINER FOR IGNITION AND PROVIDING OPENINGS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER AT THE 